Can-do: Attitude and intention are the two most important factors in pregnant women's decisions about exercising, say exercise physiologists at Penn State and the University of Florida.

"Her intention to exercise is the strongest determinant of her actual exercise behavior," Dr. Danielle Symons Downs, assistant professor of kinesiology at Penn State, said at the April 4 meeting of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance in Philadelphia.

Downs and Dr. Heather A. Hausenblas, an assistant professor of exercise and sports science at the University of Florida, are studying how attitudes and behaviors regarding exercise change throughout a pregnancy.

Their study, which followed 130 women, found that positive attitudes about the benefits of exercise were the strongest factor determining their intentions to exercise. A woman's ability to control obstructions to exercise - nausea and fatigue - ranked next.

Event

Get fit: The Council on Aging of Southwestern Ohio, Hamilton County General Health District and Health Alliance have teamed to implement "Active for Life," a 20-week program to help adults 50 and older build moderate to vigorous physical activity into their daily lives.

Small change: A new survey from the American Council for Fitness and Nutrition found that most Americans don't know that simple lifestyle changes can prevent weight gain.

The survey found that 40 percent of respondents thought they had to trim daily consumption by 500 calories to prevent weight gain. A recent study found that trimming 100 calories a day would stop weight gain.

Most respondents also overestimated what they need to do to burn more calories or eat less.